PR industry needs re-skilling for new ESG opportunities

DUBAI: The Public Relations industry in the Middle East must reskill and upgrade its competencies to embrace the fast-growing trend of environmental, social and governance (ESG) communications, observed the opening panel discussion of the fourth annual Provoke MENA Summit.

Under the theme, ‘A New Middle East Narrative: A Manifesto for Change in PR,’ the discussion, moderated by Sunil John, President – Middle East of BCW and Founder of ASDA’A BCW, explored the need for the PR industry to adapt and thrive in a profoundly changed media and economic landscape. On the panel were Rania Rostom, Chief Communications Officer, GE International Markets; Mazen Nahawi, the Founder & CEO of CARMA; and Vasuki Shastry, an ESG and public affairs expert, and former Global Head of Public Affairs and Sustainability at Standard Chartered.

The discussion centred on three imperatives shaping the new Middle East narrative: the new era of peace following the normalisation of ties between the UAE and Bahrain with Israel, the increased focus ofregionalgovernmentsandbusinessesonadapting to climate change, and the massive investments by state-owned entities in domestic infrastructure and economic diversification.

“The dramatic changes of the past year make it important for the PR industry to rethink its business and operating models,” said Sunil John. “What maters is not just how quickly we evolve and how we reskill, but also how relevant our work will be for our clients and the media. Our research and hands-on experience of over 20 years in the region tells us that the Middle East is entering a new phase of regional growth and optimism, and our role as PR practitioners must be to set a new communications agenda.”